The Game
by brittnc1713
Summary: Life is not so ordinary now. Ever since I become part of this, I've done things that no one could imagine I would be doing. I must fight to survive and complete the objective given to me. Others will try to kill me while allies will protect me. And all I can do is complete my challenge and finish the game. RukiaXHarem AU
1. Prologue

Prologue

A white Victorian style mansion stood behind a huge imposing gate. A young Kuchiki Rukia had no idea why the person who lived behind the gates would call for her. There's nothing truly special about the petite girl. Still, curiosity gnawed at her insides, itching to know the reason for the call.

While Rukia was admiring the scenery of the mansion, a man had come up to gates. He didn't acknowledge the girl standing in front of him, only remained silent. It was a few seconds before the young Kuchiki noticed him. Somehow, the man was able to sense that the girl knew he was there. With a motion of his hand, the gates opened, allowing for Rukia to come in. The two walked in silence up to the mansion. Questions were on the tip of Rukia's tongue, waiting to be asked but something told her this was not the person to ask, for he would only ignore her until the time came. So, for now, she admired the gardens of the mansion.

The gardens were tremendously filled with different types of flowers; from roses to tulips to asters of all different colors and shapes. _'So pretty.' _The young girl thought as the pair walked to the door of the mansion.

Before they even got to the door, it opened to reveal a man in a white tux with silver hair and a very noticeable smirk on his face. His eyes were squinted, not revealing the emotions of the man but his smile told everything about him. He stood quite a few centimeters above Rukia. "Why, Kuchiki-san, we've been expecting you. Come in, come in." The man said as he guided Rukia into the foyer and closed the door, leaving the previous person outside. "I'm Ichimaru Gin, Kuchiki-san."

Rukia shivered slightly. The voice of this person seemed to crawl over her like a snake but he kept the composure of a wicked fox. She slowly turned to meet his gaze. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ichimaru-san."

Gin bent slightly and took Rukia's hand, placing a kiss on it. "The pleasure is all mine, Kuchiki-san." He purred before smirking once more. This caused Rukia to pull her hand away and turn away from the silver haired man. A chuckle rang out among the foyer. "Please, follow me." Then Gin turned and walked down a long hallway.

Rukia reluctantly followed the foxlike man in silence. He asked her question as if to scope her out but she only answered in one word answers. Something about this man didn't feel right, heck, something about this entire situation didn't feel right to the young Kuchiki. Everything seemed sketchy but she couldn't tell what it was.

After a while, Gin and Rukia came to a large wooden door. Gin knocked on the door and everything remained still for a few seconds. "Come in." A commanding voice said from the other side. Gin smirked at Rukia one more time before leading her into the room behind the doors. The room was study. Bookshelves with tons of books liked the west and east walls while a fireplace occupied most of the north wall. A sitting area sat in a corner just to the right of the wall and desk sat in front of the fireplace. The room was barely light with the only light coming from the fire in the fire place. "Kuchiki-san." Someone called. Rukia looked towards the fireplace. Someone sat in a chair facing the fireplace. Gin ushered Rukia up to the desk. A few silent moments passed with only the sounds of a rushed heartbeat coming from the young Kuchiki.

Finally, the person in the chair turned. Rukia could barely make out his features in the dim light. They stood and walked around the desk, over to Rukia. The person stood high above Rukia. His hair was brown and combed back with a single piece of hair falling beside his right eye. No emotion seemed to cross his eyes while he looked down at Rukia, examining her. "Hello, Kuchiki-san. Welcome." The person said with a slight bow. Rukia nodded slightly, not knowing what exactly to do. "My name is Aizen Souske. I'm the one who called you here."

So, this is the mystery man who called for Rukia. She didn't know exactly what to think of him but he did seem arrogant to her; like someone who would use anyone to get what they wanted. Rukia watched Aizen Souske as he walked back behind his desk and sat down. He motioned for Rukia to sit in a nearby chair that sat close to the desk. "I believe you are wondering why you were called here." He said before the young girl could get a word in. A nod was received as his answer. A smile crossed his lips. "I will answer all your questions after we have finishes our…discussion."

He received a confused look from Rukia, who didn't have any idea about what he was thinking. The only thing she could at the moment is wait and see what Aizen was talking about.

"Kuchiki-san, have you ever heard of the Legend of the Crystal Skeleton?" The brown hair man asked the young girl sitting in front of her. She shook her head. His smile grew bigger. "Well, the Crystal Skeleton is a very powerful device. It has the power to grant one wish before it is scattered among the globe once more. My plan is to find and complete the skeleton. I want to clean the world of corruption and make a peaceful world for future generations to come."

"What does that have to do with me?" Rukia finally said.

"Oh my, she finally spoke, Aizen-sama. What a cute voice, I might add." Gin cut in with grin firm on his face. "Do you mind if I keep her?" This statement caused Rukia to push herself as far away from the silver haired man as possible.

"Gin, please." Aizen said before turning to Rukia. "You see, Kuchiki-san, the pieces of the Skeleton don't just show up to whomever. It has to be a special person. And you, Kuchiki-san, meet the requirements that need to be met in order for the pieces to be found."

A question popped up into Rukia's mind. "H-How would you find the pieces?"

"I'm glad you asked." Aizen said. He pressed a button on his desk and a white screen and projector appeared on the west wall of the room. "A special 'ritual' must happen in order to find the pieces. This ritual is called 'The Game.' Players and protectors are tasked with finding the pieces. You will have several people tasked with the same objective and the goal is to complete your objective before anyone else."

"And if you don't complete your objective before the other person?" Rukia asked.

"Nothing from what I've seen. They don't remember anything of The Game and continue life as if it never happened."

"And to the person who completes the objective?"

Aizen chuckled a little. "Now, that is a question for another day. And now, time for some other information. You Kuchiki-san, should you choose to participate in The Game, will be a Player. You will have people called 'Protectors' who will protect you from other people who have the same objective from doing anything to you. Protectors and players, of course, are granted special powers based on the power of the Player. But, if the Protector uses his or her powers too long it will drain energy from the Player and send them into a coma."

"And this can kill them?" Rukia asked.

"I'm afraid so. A Player's energy is replenished over time, if not in a coma. Now, on to something else," Aizen turned the projector on and pulled up a picture with 3 guys. The 1st had spikey orange hair with amber eyes and a permanent scowl set into his face. The second had light blue hair with light blue eyes. He smiled a wicked grin. And the last one had white hair with turquoise eyes. He looked short from what Rukia could tell. "Kurosaki Ichigo, Jaegerjaquez Grimmjow, and Hitsugaya Toshiro will be your protectors. Very powerful men, from what I have seen. And now for you competition," Another picture flashed on the screen when Aizen pressed a button. This picture was of a guy with both purple hair and eyes. He seemed to smile but grin at the same time. "Terada Kotaro is tasked with the same goal in which you will be trusted with. He has one protector and that is Cifer Ulquiorra." Then one last picture flashed onto the screen. This time, it was of woman who had long strawberry blonde hair and a very big chest. "Matsumoto Rangiku, she can either be your enemy or your ally. Your choice on that one. Her protector is Hisagi Shuhei." Aizen said before he pressed another button and the room returned to dim light once again.

Rukia truly didn't know what to make of what Aizen Souske was saying. He was employing her to find some piece of some skeleton that had nothing to do with her. But, it all sounded so tempting. It was a chance to have an adventure, something that she had been dreaming of since forever. And even if she lost, everything would turn to normal, wouldn't it?

Aizen got up from his chair and walked around the desk, over to Rukia. "Kuchiki-san, our time is running short. So I will give you the final piece of information that you need." Rukia sat up in her chair and listened very carefully to what the brown hair man had to say. "I already have most pieces for the skeleton. I just need 2 last things."

"A-And what are they?"

"You only have to worry about the objective I give you. And that Kuchiki-san, is to find the head of the Crystal Skeleton. The head is the most difficult part to find but I trust that you will be the one to find it." Aizen said, trying to coax the young girl into joining.

"Just one question….how do you expect to find the head?"

"Monsters, known as hollows, will come to attack you. Some of these monster will drop stones and these stones will help you find the piece you are seeking but only when it is close. And lucky you, the skull just happens to be here in Japan."

"How do you know that?"

"I do my research very well, Kuchiki-san." Aizen looked at his watch for a moment. "The time has come for us to part, Kuchiki-san. But before you go, please get down on one knee." Aizen commanded from Rukia.

Rukia did as she was told.

"You are tasked with finding the Skull of the Crystal Skeleton. Your protectors shall be Kurosaki Ichigo, Jaegerjaquez Grimmjow, and Hitsugaya Toshiro. You will also be fighting many enemies." A smile appeared on the brown hair man's face. "So, do you accept the challenge, Kuchiki Rukia?" Aizen Sosuke called out to a young black hair girl. The girl looked up from her kneeling position. Her violet eyes, cold and hard; her lips opened slightly.

"I accept."

"Then welcome to….The Game."

* * *

**(A/N): So what do you guys think? Bad, good, horrible, great? I've been wanting to do a story with my fave character in Bleach and I just think this is the one. And yea,I put my own male character in as well, Kotaro. You can find out about him on my profile when I put his info up. Also, Rukia's harem will consist of 5 guys. Let's see if you can guess who they are. **

**For now, I'm going to see how well this story prologue and chapter 1 will play out. If they're not so hot, I won't really continue the story. And if it gets a couple of reviews or faves or follows, I'll definitely continue. **

**So please give some feedback on what you thought and we can go from there. Bye for now~!**

**Update: 6/17/2014**


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Sunlight shined through a window to the bed of Kuchiki Rukia. A hand popped up from under the covers as a small frame rose from the bed. Her black hair was disheveled with pieces sticking up all over. The girl removed the covers from over her body and made her way over to a door that opened to a bathroom. There, she prepared for school.

As Rukia was changing, something caught her eye. Placed on her left forearm was a delicate looking snowflake with the color of light blue. "Where did this come from?" The young girl asked herself as she traced the snowflake with her hand.

"Rukia, hurry and come eat your breakfast or you're going to be late!" Someone yelled from behind Rukia's door.

"Coming, okaa-san!" Rukia called back. The young Kuchiki finished what she needed to prepare for school and ran downstairs to the kitchen. Her mother stood in the kitchen, cleaning some dishes and her father was at the dining room table eating his own breakfast. Pulling a table from under the table, Rukia sat down next to her father. Her mother came and placed pancakes down in front of her. "Morning, okaa-san, otou-sama."

Kuchiki Byakuya looked up at his daughter for a moment and nodded then returned to eating his breakfast. His wife, Hisana, smiled down at their daughter before returning to the kitchen to finish cleaning.

"Um, otou-sama?" Rukia asked nervously.

"Yes, Rukia?"

"I-I'll be working late tonight, so I won't be home to eat dinner." Rukia said to her father as she started to eat her pancakes. Byakuya's gray eyes looked at Rukia with no emotion. He just nodded without saying a word. After a few minutes, Rukia finished her breakfast and took the plate into the kitchen to clean it up. And silence fell onto the family.

Suddenly, clanging rang out from behind Rukia and a coughing fit followed right after. Hisana was on floor, holding her chest as she coughed into the cloth of her apron. Byakuya quickly got up and went over to his wife. The coughing didn't stop as Byakuya patted her back, trying to calm her. "Hisana, you shouldn't work yourself too hard. You know what the doctor said." He reminded the woman next to him.

Hisana smiled slightly. "I know, Byakuya. I just…"

"Go rest and I'll call for your nurse to come today." And the emotionless man left the room.

Rukia walked over to her mother and helped her to a chair. Saying goodbyes, Rukia left for school. As she walked to school, she found her best friend, Inoue Orihime, waiting for her at their usual place. "Orihime!" The young Kuchiki called out to a busty girl with long orange hair.

The girl replied with a smile. "Ruki-chan! You're later than usual."

Rukia ran up to her friend and the two started walking towards their high school. "I know. I didn't wake up at the time I usually do. And…my okaa-san had another coughing fit this morning." Then the petite girl stared down at her hands. A small sigh escaped from her lips. "Her lung cancer is getting worse, Orihime. If….if she refuses the treatment any longer, then she will die."

"Maybe Hisana-san has a reason for refusing." Orihime suggested.

"Still, wouldn't she tell otou-sama and I? Okaa-san wouldn't take the journey on her own. We want to be there for her but…she won't let us."

"Ruki-chan, look up to the sky." Rukia looked up at her friend for a second then up to the sky. "You see? The sky is forever changing but it still remains the same. If Hisana-san does leave us, she will part of the sky, wouldn't she? She would always like watch over you, no matter what?"

"Wow, Orihime, that…that sounds thoughtful." Rukia replied to her friend with a smile.

"Really? I'm glad. Before my onii-chan died, he said those words to me. And they always stuck with me." Orihime laughed a little and bopped herself on the head. "Got to think positive, Ruki-chan. Remember that."

Rukia smiled and laughed. Her friend always knew how to cheer her up. But the bubbly orange haired girl was right. If you think positive, some things can just be made easier. Rukia's eyes stared up at the sky as the two friends walked along. What she didn't notice is that a man walked in front of her. The young Kuchiki was on the ground within the next second.

"Are you alright?" Someone asked. Rukia looked up. The man was wearing white headphones around his neck. A regular white tee with some blue jeans and black tennis shoes was his outfit. And a guitar case strap was hung over his shoulder. What stood out the most was the person's bright orange hair. _'This person…I've seen him before.' _Rukia thought to herself. "Hello? Can you speak midget?"

A vein popped from Rukia's forehead. "Midget?!" The black hair girl jumped up, hitting her head on the chin of the person in front of her. "Ow! Watch where you're going!"

"Me?! I wasn't the staring up at the sky!" The person yelled back at the young girl in front of him. "I was just trying to be polite!"

"Who the hell are you anyway?" Rukia asked in a very annoyed tone.

The man in front of her straightened and glared at the petite girl. "Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Kurosaki….Ichigo?" _'That name…where have I heard it before?'_ Rukia looked at Ichigo in a daze then shook her head to try and clear her thoughts.

"Now, your name, midget?"

The statement caused Rukia to glare at the tall man in front of her. "Kuchiki Rukia."

"Kuchiki Rukia?! You're her?!" Ichigo stepped back in surprise when he seemed to register the name. But he soon realized that Rukia didn't recognize him. _'So he did….?' _The strawberry thought for a second. _'He must have then.'_ He received a confused look from the two girls standing in front of him. "Sorry, I bothered you, Kuchiki-san." He turned to leave but stopped for a moment. "I suggest you watch yourself. You have no idea what you have gotten yourself into." Then Ichigo walked off, leaving the two girls to themselves.

"Rukia, do you know that guy?" Orihime asked her confused friend. Her answer was a shook of the head. "Well, he was kind of cute, you know?"

"Orihime, get your head out of the clouds. We're going to be late for class." Rukia said to the orangette next to her. And within the next second, the girls were running to school.

* * *

The bell rang out amongst the halls of Karakura High School. Rukia and Orihime came running into the rooms in just the nick of time before the teacher walked into to start the class. They laughed a little at each other and sat back and listened to their teachers until lunch came. The two girls meet with their friends in a small area of the high school court yard.

"Orihime-chan, what do you have for lunch today?" One of their friends, Chizuru asked the busty naïve girl.

"Oh, just a normal lunch, rice with some cake for dessert." And she laughed as she began to eat. "Rukia, what do you have for lunch? Rukia?"

Rukia wasn't paying attention to her friends. Her mind was off someplace else while she stared up at the sky. _'Kurosaki Ichigo?' _The meeting with the obnoxious strawberry kept playing over in her mind. It seemed as if he knew who Rukia was but she had no idea who he was. Something was missing, something very important. And maybe that something could explain the snowflake on her forearm.

A yell snapped Rukia out of her daze. "Ah! Hitsugaya-kun is walking over her!" Hinamori Momo squealed. Rukia quickly put her hands over her ears to keep them from being busted by all the squealing. As she looked up, sure enough, the hottest guy in their school was walking over in their direction.

Hitsugaya Toshiro was a short kid with white hair that made him seem older than her really was. Being the youngest of their year at age 16, he gained quite the reputation of being a prodigy at nearly everything. As he walked over to group of girls, his turquoise eyes never left Rukia's violet ones. Rukia noticed that he looked very curiously at her but why?

Hitsugaya finally got up to the group and nodded to everyone before her locked eyes with Rukia once again. "Kuchiki-san, may I speak with you for a moment?"

Shocked seemed to fill Rukia; the most popular guy of Karakura High School was talking to her. She had no idea what to do. Sure, there weren't really any feelings for him because he wasn't Rukia's type but still. The girls were coaxing her to go while it seemed Momo was glaring at her. "Uh…sure." She said with an unsure voice.

Hitsugaya walked off with Rukia following him. They walked up to the school roof where no one else stood. The young Kuchiki looked around a little one, just wondering why he would take her to the school roof. "Um, Hitsugaya-kun, what did you want to talk to me about?"

The white hair prodigy walked over to the fence of the roof and leaned against it. "Kuchiki-san, has anything happened to you recently?"

"What?"

"Has anything suspicious happened to you? Like anything out of the ordinary?" Hitsugaya asked.

"Um…not really, why do you ask?"

"No reason. But just some helpful advice: watch your back, Kuchiki-san. Things are about to get dangerous." The prodigy in front of Rukia warned.

Silence feel upon the two and Rukia decided to leave. She thanked Hitsugaya before she left with confused thoughts and wondering if the situation from this morning could somehow relate to this once.

Hitsugaya watched as the young Kuchiki walked away. "It seems she doesn't remember what he told her, Kurosaki." He said before turning to the figure of Kurosaki Ichigo who was sitting on the fence.

"Yea, I was able to tell from this morning. I ran into her and she didn't seem to remember what he had told her. I wonder why her memories are gone." Ichigo said to the shorty below him. "We'll need to inform Grimmjow before he does anything stupid."

Hitsugaya nodded. "I shall leave that to you. For now, I'll watch over her still she remembers. Inform Jaegerjaquez and we'll decide the course of action then. We don't want Kuchiki Rukia to be scared of us."

"Yea, got it, Toshiro. I'll tell him then we can meet up later, if I can find him that is." The tall orangette said before leaning slightly back and falling off the fence. "God, dang it!" He yelled at the top of his lungs.

The boy next to him smiled a small smile. "And I suggest you don't be an idiot, Kurosaki." He told the man lying on the ground before he walked to the door of roof and went to class.

* * *

Rukia sighed to herself. _'Today is very weird. First some I ran into a strange strawberry then Hitsugaya Toshiro talks to me.' _She thought to herself as she walked into a small café. The atmosphere of the small café was warm and welcoming. The interior was filled light browns, cream, and nude beige. Painting from famous artist from around Japan filled the walls, bringing an artistic feel to the café. Behind the counter where one would fix little snacks and coffee, sat a tall girl with green hair and big bust. A scar ran down the middle of her face and a red line fell across her cheeks. Her hazel eyes lit up when she saw Rukia enter the café. "Ruki! I didn't think you would come today!"

Rukia smiled back at her co-worker. "Hey, Nel. How has today been?" She asked as she walked behind the counter to get to the worker's locker room.

"Boring, barely anybody came in. How come your shift is always the busiest?" The green hair girl complained. While Rukia was changing into her uniform, Neliel pulled Rukia into a tight hug from behind. "Tell me, Ruki, what is your secret? Is it that you're so cute?" She poked Rukia's stomach. "Or maybe your large eyes?" Then she poked Rukia's cheek. "Or maybe your attitude?" Then Neliel thumped Rukia's forehead as she broke the hug and backed up. "Tell me!"

The actions of the 19-year-old Neliel made Rukia laugh. She could act so mature and immature at the same time. How that could be managed was out of Rukia's mind. "I don't really know Nel. Maybe that's when all the artists are out for inspiration?" She suggested but it didn't change the mood in the room.

"Hmm….maybe you're right." A nearby clock dinged 5:00 pm. "Well, Ruki, my shift is over. I'll see you later." Neliel said her black hair friend and left the shop.

Rukia laughed slightly and smiled. "Bye, Nel."

The night seemed to drag on until 7:00 pm hit then the shop become busy. Every person had something different to bring to the stage at the little café. This was something Rukia enjoyed, seeing the art of different come to life as they mingle with the world outside of their little home. They could experience something new and make that into a new story or a new painting. And this was Rukia's dream. She wanted to open a little café in a city somewhere and watch as people grew inspired every day.

Rukia didn't notice someone walking. They came up to the counter where she sat. "Hey." They said.

Rukia smiled and looked at the person. "Welcome to Taiga's café. How can I help you?" She asked to customer in front of her. When to really got a good look at them, she got another feeling, like the one she got this morning with Kurosaki Ichigo. The person in front of her was a man with light blue hair that spiked out of his head in one direction. His light blue eyes looked straight at her with an annoyed look in them. He carried a notebook in one hand. He wore a light blue plaid button up shirt with a white tee underneath and a simple pair of black jeans and blue tennis shoes.

"Hello, can you stop gawking at me, Miss-?"

"Uh…Kuchiki Rukia, sir."

The eyes of the person in front of Rukia widened then his face settle into a smirk. "So you're Kuchiki Rukia. You don't look like anything special. I wonder what he saw in you. It doesn't seem like you have what it-" And then his cell phone rang. The person picked it and walked out of Rukia's hearing range. _'What the hell?' _She thought. The person came back with a very annoyed look on his face. "Damn strawberry." He looked up at Rukia. "The name is Jaegerjaquez Grimmjow and don't you forget it." Then he left.

The rest of the night went on and 10:00 pm soon came. Rukia sat outside, waiting for her father to come and pick her up. While she waited, her thoughts wondered to the pervious events of the day. Everything seemed…so strange. _'Kurosaki Ichigo, Jaegerjaquez Grimmjow, and Hitsugaya Toshiro; what do they all have in common?' _The black hair girl thought to herself. Not paying attention, Rukia accidently ran into someone. "Oh, I'm sorry."

The man she ran into just smiled. "Oh, no problem."

Rukia nodded a little then looked at him for a minute. His hair was purple as well as purple eyes. He was a little taller than Rukia by was looked to be by 30 centimeters. And the way he smiled could melt any girl right where they stood but Rukia didn't like it looked. It looked like a smile that challenged her and frightened her. This person didn't seem very friendly. She noticed something below his eyes. It was a light purple cross underneath right eye.

"Well, Kuchiki-san, I will see you later." The person walked away while waving to the young Kuchiki.

Rukia waved back before she realized that she didn't even tell the guy her name. "Strange…." And then her father pulled up to the side of the curb to take Rukia home.

* * *

Two people sat in the shadows as they watched the young Kuchiki get into a car and drive off. A chuckle rang out among them. "Hmm…what a cute little girl, don't you think so, Rangiku-san?" One of them asked.

A woman stepped out of the shadows. She stood at 172 centimeters with long blonde hair and a huge chest. Her blue eyes followed the car as she saw Kuchiki Rukia leave. The woman felt sympathy for the young girl. "She shouldn't have been caught up in something like this, Kotaro. She's just a high school student."

The companion of the busty blonde walked beside her. His purple eyes followed the car and he just smirked. "Who cares? She's my competition so you don't have to the one to ruin her, Rangiku-san." And the man ran a hand through his purple hair. "This is going to be fun. Aizen picked the perfect person, in my opinion. Her reiatsu is very strong, so I can why her chose her. And three protectors who just happen to be a few of the strongest ones there are." A chuckled escaped his lips. "This is going to be fun, Rangiku. But, I sure hope she can last a while. It's no fun if they die early."

The woman turned and left, leaving the purple haired man by himself. He looked up to the full moon that hung over head. "Let the games begins, Kuchiki Rukia." And the man disappeared.

* * *

**(A/N): So with the 1st real chapter posted, I shall see how this story does. Also, thank you for the two people who reviewed. It really made my day. ^.^ And thanks for pointing out the mistake with Toshiro's eyes. I shall fix that. Also, characters may be a little OOC at times but I will try to keep to their personalities as best I can.**

**So, if you can, please review and maybe even favorite or follow the story. And as quoted by Kotaro in this chapter. "Let the games begin" Bye for now~!**

**Update: 6/17/2014**

**P.S.: Something cool is the reviews get to choose who Rukia ends up with. So once the harem is established, vote away!**


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The sun was setting on another day. Aizen Souske sat on his balcony with a martini in hand. He watched the sun set along the horizon with light reflecting from a lake near his mansion. A smirk crossed his cold features as he took a sip of his drink. _'Everything is going very well.' _The brown hair man thought to himself. _'Soon enough, it will be complete and I will-'_

"My, Aizen-sama, what could you be doing out here and with a martini, I see." Aizen was torn from his thoughts as his right-hand man, Ichimaru Gin, walked on to the balcony to join him.

Aizen regarded his subordinate with a nod. "I was just thinking of recent events, Gin." Then he finished up his martini and sat the glass on a nearby end table. "The final pieces of the puzzle are falling together nicely, I would say."

"You mean, Kuchiki Rukia?" A fox like grin appeared on Gin's face. "She's such a cute little girl. Are you sure I can't keep her, Aizen-sama?"

"She's an important, very important player in this special game. Without her, the Crystal Skeleton won't be complete and we don't want that, now do we, Gin?"

"Of course not, Aizen-sama. But, may I ask, what makes her so special? There is nothing that sets her apart from any other high school student, except maybe her reiatsu. Or is there something else you had in mind for the little Kuchiki?" The silver hair man saw something flash in the eyes of his brown eyed superior. "Oh, so there is a key factor about her. Hmm…I see now."

Aizen looked out to lake where the sun had finally set below the horizon. "Tosen."

Tosen Kaname, a man with dark skin and long brown hair that was set into braids, appeared in the door way of the balcony. He kneeled before Aizen with his head down. "Yes, Aizen-sama?"

"I want you to keep an eye on Kuchiki Rukia and report to me if anything happens to her." Aizen ordered the man in the door way. He received a nod and Tosen disappeared, leaving him and Gin once more.

"Ooh, sending Tosen out to watch her. She must be very important." A smirk appeared on Gin's face. "I shall leave for now, Aizen-sama. Thank you for this nice little chat." Then Gin left.

Once again, Aizen stood alone on the balcony. The man prepared himself another martini and settled into a chair that sat facing away from the mansion. The brown hair man's eyes settled on the lake. A small chuckle escaped him. "I really hope for a show." He said to himself as he nursed the drink in his hand.

* * *

Rukia stared out the window of her classroom. It's been two days since the incidents with Hitsugaya Toshiro, Kurosaki Ichigo, and Jaegerjaquez Grimmjow. They continued to play back in her mind and leave a weird taste behind. Something kept nagging at Rukia as she tried to figure how the three guys seemed be an important factor to her, somehow at least. _'What do they have in common?' _ The young Kuchiki thought. What seemed weird is the fact that they all knew her. Not once has Rukia actually spoken to Hitsugaya or even seen Ichigo or Grimmjow, yet they knew of her.

A comment made by Grimmjow popped in to the black hair girl's head. _'Damn strawberry.' _So maybe Grimmjow knew Ichigo somehow but that was a long shot.

Someone tapped Rukia's shoulder. "Ruki-chan?"

Rukia turned to everyone in the class staring at her, even the teacher was looking at. "Uh..yes?"

"Kuchiki-san, would you mind reading the 3rd paragraph for us?" The teacher asked Rukia with a slight glare in her eyes.

Oh, yeah, Rukia wasn't really paying attention to the lesson; so of course the teacher would call her. Nodding towards the teacher, Rukia stood up and began to read the passage in her English book. No one was surprised that the young Kuchiki was able to read the passage flawlessly. Her father was the president of the Kuchiki Corporation which had many trade agreements with companies in the United States. Once Rukia was finished, the teacher asked her to sit down and called on the next student to read.

Soon, lunch time came and Rukia and Orihime's friends came to join them in their class. Not into the conversation they were having, Rukia just continued to stare out the window.

"Kuchiki-san!" Someone called from the group around Rukia.

She turned to see all the girls staring at her with curious. That when she began to get bombarded with question about Hitsugaya Toshiro.

"What did you two do on the roof?"

"Did he confess to you?"

"What did you two talk about?"

"Tell us, Kuchiki-san!"

"What happened with Hitsugaya-kun?!"

"Whoa, whoa! Enough with the questions please." The black hair girl tried to calm everyone. "He just asked me a question, nothing about dating or confessing." She told the group.

Then a scoff rang out among them. "Figures." Everyone turned to see Hinamori Momo eating her lunch. "He wouldn't be interested in you, anyway, Kuchiki-san. It's most likely that he cares more about refined, sophisticated women, such as myself. And you, Kuchiki-san, don't have any of those qualities."

Rukia was shocked a little. Momo had never acted like this to her before. So what made her start to act like this now? "What is your problem, Hinamori-san?"

"I don't have a problem. I was just speaking the truth."

Oh, now it came apparent. Hinamori was jealous because Hitsugaya didn't acknowledge her but he did acknowledge Rukia. "You're jealous, aren't you? Because Hitsugaya-kun didn't even notice your presence when he came over to talk with me. Well, you don't have to worry, Hinamori-san. I'm not interested him, mainly because I barely know him." Rukia confessed to the brown hair girl.

"Hmph." And Momo got up and left without another word. The girls in the group just started to laugh and congratulate Rukia. But, it really didn't affect the young Kuchiki. To her, Hitsugaya was just another guy that didn't matter. The only thing that matter to Rukia was not to disappoint her father, which was one of her biggest fears.

Unbeknownst to the black hair girl, three men sat on the school roof, staring down at where she sat.

Hitsugaya Toshiro looked away from the young Kuchiki to look at Kurosaki Ichigo and Jaegerjaquez Grimmjow sitting in front of him. "It seems that she hasn't remembered yet. Do you know when she even to Aizen?" He asked his companions.

Ichigo shrugged. "I think it was a week ago I believe. At least, that what Aizen told me. He didn't tell me the reason removing her memory."

"Maybe it's so she wouldn't remember who the other players are. I mean, this game is kind of some entertainment for the old man. So he erased her memories to make the game more fun but harder on us." Grimmjow suggested. The two men nodded and contemplated what the blue haired man suggested.

"It will only make it a little harder for us to protect her though. Kotaro could attack at any moment. And something tells me that he's already made some sort of contact with her." Ichigo commented.

Hitsugaya looked back at the young Kuchiki who was currently reading a book but being the distance he was away, he couldn't tell what the book was. His thoughts roamed a little and they stopped on a certain meeting between him and Aizen.

* * *

"_Hitsugaya-kun, you know the cost of being a protector, correct?" The brown hair man asked the young prodigy._

_Hitsugaya looked up towards Aizen. "Yes, I know the cost. If it comes to it, I will risk my very life to protect my player. That is the job of a protector and I am willingly to accept it, Aizen-san." _

_Aizen smiled towards Hitsugaya. "Of course, not to discuss who your player will be."_

_The two men sat in Aizen's study, and as always, the only light was coming from the fire in the fireplace. Aizen went over to his desk and pulled out a picture of a black hair girl with huge violet eyes. Her skin was pale and her hair went only down to her chin which increased the emphasis on the shape of her face. Hitsugaya knew who this girl was; of course he would since they were in the same year at his school._

"_Kuchiki Rukia is her name and I believe she goes to the same school as you. Watch over her, Hitsugaya-kun, because she is tasked with the same objective as Terada Kotaro. And you and I both know how cruel Kotaro-kun can be." Aizen received a nod from the young mal e in front of him. "Good, now, just a small suggestion, please approach her carefully."_

"_Why?" Hitsugaya asked._

"_She…she might not remember the meeting that I will be having with her, coming up shortly but that is only if she accepts to participate in the game."_

_Hitsugaya nodded once again while still looking at the picture. He wondered how she would be someone who would play in the game but that was for Aizen to know. His only duty was to protect her along with his fellow protectors. The white hair student wasn't going to ask question anymore and accept the task of being a protector. And this was final._

* * *

'_Protect her.' _That was only duty Hitsugaya has as a protector, the same with Grimmjow and Ichigo. And they would have to do just that. "Kurosaki, Jaegerjaquez." And the two guys looked at Hitsugaya. "Tonight, we talk to Kuchiki and tell her about the game."

"Really? I thought you wanted to wait so we wouldn't 'scare' her." Grimmjow commented with a slight smirk.

Hitsugaya shot him a glare. "We need to move quickly. So, Kotaro doesn't move and kill her."

They all nodded and Ichigo and Grimmjow left, leaving the white hair male on the roof. The bell for class rang out around the school and he left for class.

* * *

The sky was dark now, leaving the only light coming from the moon and a few shops. Rukia stood outside the building where she works, waiting for her father to come and pick her up. It was currently 20 minutes past nine and she should have been home by now to work on homework. Stepping up to the curb, the young Kuchiki looked down the street but no cars were coming in either direction. _'Strange, it's almost always busy.' _She thought to herself.

The ground shook, followed by an eerie scream. Rukia stumbled slightly and nearly feel into the street but caught her balance. "What the-?" She looked around but saw no sign of what could have caused the scream.

Then it appeared. Rukia looked up to see a 15 foot monster standing on two legs with long arms reaching the ground. It was covering with grey fur all over its body. And for its face, it had a white mask with several grey stripes down each side of the mask. It looked down at Rukia as she backed up until she hit wall. For several agonizing moments, they just stared at each other, neither willing to move. Then the creature slowly raised an arm and stroke down at Rukia. Rukia quickly moved out of the way to avoid being hit. The creature screamed and attacked the helpless girl again but she ran down the street away from it.

The creature followed Rukia as she continued to run as fast as she could down the street. Suddenly, Rukia fell to the ground. She clenched her teeth as a pain in her knee suddenly shot through her. Her knee was currently bleeding a good amount of blood. The monster now stood above her. Fear clouded Rukia's eyes as she thought about what was going to happen to her. The monster reached out for her to grab her.

Then a beam of green light shot through the monster's arm and the arm fell off and disappeared. The monster screamed and grabbed where the arm used to be. It fell backwards and left a large crater in the street. Rukia was breathing heavily as she stared at the monster lying in the street. Before her stood two men, one had shoulder length black hair. His back turned to Rukia, she couldn't tell much more from him but he was taller than her for sure. And his skin looked very pale. Slight behind him, she saw another male and this was the men who she had ran into last night! What was going on?

The purple hair man, Kotaro, looked back at Rukia and laughed a little. But he turned back to the hollow sitting in the street, screaming its butt of. "Hmm…Ulquiorra."

The male next to him turned to Kotaro. "Yes, Kotaro-sama?"

"Distract it. I haven't had a good fight in a while so don't kill it."

The man nodded and proceeded to complete his order. The hollow tried to attack him but Ulquiorra was too quick. Several strikes at the hollow kept his attention on the protector and not on the players.

Kotaro pulled out some playing cards from his pocket and shuffled them. He threw several cards at the hollow, which caused the hollow to scream even more. He then threw the cards in the air. They began to take the shape of a several crosses.

Rukia stared at the two men as they fought the giant creature that nearly killed her. But who exactly are they?

Kotaro sent one of the crosses at the hollow. The hollow was too slow to get up and lost another arm. But, he did get up and ran towards Kotaro only to meet a bunch of cards that surrounded Kotaro and protected.

Ulquiorra appeared on the shoulder of the creature and swung his sword into the mask of the hollow. Kotaro sent cards flying towards the mask and broke it.

The hollow screamed and began to disappear. Ulquiorra appeared next to his player once again, ready to attack if anything to happen. Kotaro walked over to where the hollow had disappeared and picked up a glowing red gem. He placed it in his coat packet.

"We should leave, Kotaro-sama, more hollows may begin to appear now." Ulquiorra warned the player.

Kotaro ignored his protector and walked over to Rukia. "So, Kuchiki Rukia, have you seen what you have gotten yourself into?"

Confused, Rukia looked up at Kotaro. "What are you talking about?"

"Hmm…so Aizen did erase your memories of your meeting." A laugh rang out among the buildings. Kotaro sent a wicked smirk at Rukia. "I hope you're prepared to die, Kuchiki-san, especially since your protectors are not here."

Rukia slowly got up but her eyes never left the purple hair man in front of her. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

A sword suddenly appeared in Kotaro's hand. "It was nice to meet you, Kuchiki-san. I just wish we could have to know each other better." And he struck his blade done at Rukia.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed and followed. This story actually did a lot better than I thought so I will definitely be continuing it. :) And because of those reviews, I was able to right this. Not the best chapter ever but I hope that they will get better as the story progresses but we can only wait and see. Thanks again and talk to you in the next chapter. Bye for now~!**

**Update: 6/25/14**


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